


give me that sweet taste ice cream cake

by kuroshironimu



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Ice cream boy Doyoung, M/M, The others are there if you blink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 02:55:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16380080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuroshironimu/pseuds/kuroshironimu
Summary: Taeyong just so happened to walk passed by this small ice cream corner in a 24-hour convenience store near his studio.It also just happened that the attendant is a doe-eyed boy with cute blue highlights and cute lips.Did he mention cute?





	give me that sweet taste ice cream cake

**Author's Note:**

> this has been sitting in my draft for almost a year. dilia, if you're reading this, do know that i love you and hope this proves that i can actually write something happy. keyword: i tried.
> 
> as i'm sure yall probably realize that the title is from ice cream cake by red velvet.

The clock struck half past 12 when Taeyong looked down on his watch. He sighed heavily as he locked the door behind him and giving the key to the studio security before setting off to the night. Practicing had been gruesome these days, and Taeyong found himself in the dance studio until wee hours of midnight more than he liked to admit. The upcoming tournament and future gigs in his schedule had left him in jitter, not to mention the piling workload of college assignments waiting in his studio. Another sigh escaped his lips. It was a mistake applying for physics engineering major, but Taeyong rather suffered through quantum mechanics rather than medical major his parents initially planned for him.

 

The nearest bus stop around his studio required him to walk through the small food district, where stalls were still opened and dim light of the lamps accompany his every footstep. It wasn’t exactly deserted, few people were still milling around and about to catch some midnight snacks and hanging out with friends, and Taeyong idly wish he had the same luxury if only he wasn’t so adamant about his dance crew and their upcoming performances. At least at home he had some instant ramen—not a very healthy diet, but beggars can’t be choosers.

 

Taeyong continued walking, hoping his footsteps was fast enough to catch the last bus, but his feet slowly came to a halt when he noticed a small ice cream stall on his right. He never saw this one before, or he did—he never remembered. The ice cream stall was actually a small built-in counter in the 24-hours convenience store, as to why they need a separated stall from the store was something beyond Taeyong’s understanding, and not that he cared in the first place. What truly caught his eyes, however, was the male behind the counter, slouching on his stool and thin lips forming a straight line possibly out of boredom.

 

See here, Lee Taeyong wasn’t exactly what you would call an observant person. He looked at the general picture, so to speak, and small details tend to leave him except when it comes to his dance routine. But the boy behind the counter—it pulled every ounce of his attention. His lips were thin

 

Taeyong didn’t realize that he walked onto the counter, and when he did he jerked back onto his sense and blinked a few times to clear his head. His doe eyes were wide and unblinking as he stared at Taeyong, and there’s something on his puffy cheeks or pouty lips that reminded Taeyong of a small bunny. Taeyong noticed he moved to put a black beret on his head, probably as a part of his uniform or simply a weird fashion statement, but it looked cute nonetheless.

 

Did Taeyong just think he look cute?

 

“Um,” the boy waved his hand from behind the glass, an awkward smile on his face as soon as Taeyong’s head _literally_ snapped back into reality. He probably creeped the boy out. Smooth. “Do you want to order anything?”

 

“Yeah,” Taeyong said, releasing a deep breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. If the boy thought he was weird earlier, then he must thought of Taeyong as a freak now. What a way to build up first impression. Taeyong squinted at the glowing menu behind the boy, chewing his lips before he randomly settled for, “a chocolate sundae, please?”

 

Taeyong’s eyes glued at the boy’s back when he prepared for his order. He spent five more minutes to stare at the boy after he was handed his ice cream. Another five minutes after he got his change. He ended up missing the last bus.

 

Taeyong spent the thirty minute walk to his apartment with melting sundae in his hand and remembered that he had sensitive teeth.

 

 

\--

 

 

Taeyong didn’t expect to see the ice cream man again the next night—or maybe he did hope, just for a tiny bit. The doe-eyed man was sitting on the same position as Taeyong remembered, the same black beret and the same bored expression, probably because of the late-night shift he’s having. There were some small differences, like the round glasses perched on the bridge of his nose and the dark-covered book opened in front of him. From the sideway angle, Taeyong can finally noticed some prominent blue streaks among the black strands, standing out just enough to ward off the innocent nerd look. Taeyong idly wondered how it would look like without the beret, under the sunlight and all messed up.

 

His conscious screamed at how creepy his thoughts were. Taeyong shushed it away.

 

Taeyong walked in front of the counter, yet the man behind the glass didn’t seem to notice, too immersed in his reading to see the customer. Taeyong coughed, knocking lightly on the glass surface with his knuckles to get his attention. The ice cream boy almost jumped off his stool, hands flailing and the book almost fell flat on his face. His eyes were even wider, mouth agape, before he hurriedly took off his glasses and looked sheepishly at Taeyong.

 

“Sorry about that,” he said, a bit flustered as he fixed the beret on his head. “May I help you?”

 

That was cute.

 

“One chocolate sundae, please,” he said, trying not to smile too much while wondering what kind of mess he got himself into. The man nodded and hurried to fix Taeyong’s order, the same flustered smile still plastered on his face as he handed Taeyong his cup.

 

“It’s kinda late to open an ice cream store, don’t you think?” Taeyong said, playing with the plastic spoon.

 

The man blinked at him. “Well, you’re buying it, though.”

 

 _Right._ “Not everyone is like me, right? Like, craving for sundae on ungodly hour.”

 

It earned him a small laugh from the ice cream man, and Taeyong felt his chest swelled. It was a nice sound. “You’d be surprised on how many people crave ice cream at this hour.”

 

He just struck a conversation. Good, more reasons to not eat the ice cream in his hand. “I bet they’re all this sugar addicted students who can’t find an open Starbucks or ran out of biscuits to fuel their brain to work.”

 

“Or drunk,” the doe-eyed boy added, and they mirror each other’s smile with the display glass between them. “Which one are you?”

 

_Someone who think you look extremely cute with that beret and can I have your name or probably your number?_

 

“I’m a passerby,” Taeyong hoped he sounded as smooth and suave as he initially thought. “Well, to be exact, I just feel pretty exhausted and I really need an ice cream right now.”

 

Taeyong made a show of taking a spoonful of the ice cream and put in his mouth. Regret started flooding his inside even before the pain had been registered in his brain, and he covered his grimace with a grin. Fuck sensitive teeth.

 

“I’m glad our service can be useful for you,” the doe-eyed gave him a beaming smile and Taeyong lost all coherent thoughts and words in his brain. It was blindingly bright under the fluorescent light, and if it’s not the stupid glass separating them Taeyong would—he actually didn’t quite sure what he would do, but he bet his smile would look much better without the glass separating them. Stupid display glass. “I thought opening an ice cream stall until 3 in the morning during the whole summer was a _very_ stupid idea, but turned out people actually looking for ice cream this late, huh?”

 

“Yeah,” Taeyong nodded, still dazed by the smile. It took some time until he blinked _again_ and stared at the other’s gaze fixed at him, brows furrowing in concern. It looked so cute, the ice cream boy was so cute, Taeyong switched into manual breathing. “Sorry, I—spaced out. Really tired, lately.”

 

“Figure,” the ice cream boy bemused, and Taeyong thought he might just have amused the boy, or scared the shit out of him. His rational mind thought it was probably the latter.

 

“Well, thanks for the ice cream. Good evening,” he made a small wave, which the ice cream boy returned in the same vigor, before he ducked his head and made a beeline out of the food district to the main road, ice cream cup still in hand and a memory of doe-eyed boy with a black beret and a cute smile kept flashing on his mind all throughout the 30-minute walk to his apartment.

 

Maybe he shouldn’t visit the stall again, after all.

 

 

\--

 

 

Taeyong stood in front of the ice cream stall again.

 

In his defense, he tried not to. But there was something about the bright neon sign in the ungodly hour of the night that pulled his feet away from his intended destination. That, or the ice cream boy simply just looked really cute with his glasses and cute beret that Taeyong needed a closer look.

 

“Good evening,” the boy seemed to recognize him, with a wide smile on his face as he rested his arms on the counter. At least Taeyong can convinced himself that he looked anything but a creep, because so far, the boy hadn’t freak out at the sight of him. Or did he just act polite and nice in front of a customer? _Shut up, sensitive teeth and sensitive emotion._ “May I help you?”

 

Taeyong didn’t think much, so he decided to order the first menu he got his eyes on and the ice cream boy nodded, working swiftly behind the counter. He spent his waiting time staring at the boy’s back while his mind replayed a million things that could happen if he opened his mouth, most of them included him making a fool out of himself. He didn’t want the ice cream boy to think he’s a freak, or a weirdo, or anything that could hinder Taeyong’s effort of trying to _talk_ to him. But he can’t make progress when he didn’t even have anything to _talk_ about—not when the pair of doe eyes staring unblinkingly at him and the cute beret perched on top of his head.

 

“Your order?”

 

 _Fuck._ “Right,” way to embarrass yourself under five minutes, Taeyong. He accepted the offered cone with a small smile; the soft swirl of white cream and sugary syrup on top would look delicious to anyone’s eyes, but Taeyong could only see them as something sinister and painful. “Thank you,” he squinted his eyes at the name tag on the boy’s uniform. “Jungwoo?”

 

The ice cream boy blinked for a full ten seconds before he laughed, hand covering half of his face and Taeyong was too distracted by how sweet it sounded to notice that the boy was laughing _at_ him. “No, sorry—this is my friend’s uniform. I put mine in the washer yesterday and forgot to take it out.”

 

See? This was why Taeyong rarely opened his mouth. He’s a constant stream of embarrassment. “Sorry, I thought—”

 

“It’s alright,” the boy waved his hand with a smile on his face, more amused than anything. “I’m Doyoung.”

 

The small opening in the display glass made it hard for Doyoung to extend his hand, but Taeyong accepted it anyway—dumbfounded, if he might add. The boy’s hand—Doyoung, his crush-stricken mind supplied—felt as soft as it looked and Taeyong wished he didn’t have to let go. “Taeyong.”

 

“Nice to meet you,” Doyoung said after he pulled his hand back, fixing the beret on his head and leaning on the counter. “You really like ice cream, huh? I never see you around before.”

 

Taeyong needed a few minutes to register that the cute boy he just saw for three days and since then had been not-so-secretly crushing on was talking to him. Scratch that, _initiating conversation_ with him. Taeyong coughed into his hand before he offered Doyoung a small smile. Oh my god, he even already got a name. “Yeah, I like it, really—I never thought someone would still selling these at this hour,” how he can let out such blatant lie through his teeth was beyond him, “I’m just finished practicing, anyway.”

 

“You’re a trainee?” Doyoung leaned just a bit closer to the opening gap, and the move was so endearing or Taeyong was simply whipped. “That’s cool.”

 

Taeyong shook his head and chuckled. “No, I’m just a psychic student. I do dancing, thought that’s just hobby at this point.”

 

“You’re a dancer? So are my little brother,” Doyoung’s eyes lit up and god, if there’s more perfect that the glint in his eyes then it’s where there’s no reflecting lights on the display glass to obstruct his view. “He wanted to enroll in dance program as soon as he graduates high school, but now he’s still practicing and try to get a scholarship ride.”

 

“Your brother sounds like a great dancer,” Taeyong commented, and the proud beaming smile of Doyoung’s made his chest swell. He didn’t know if it’s possible to crush this hard when they only knew each other’s name for ten minutes, top. “Maybe I’ve seen him around? My crew likes to do gigs across the town, too.”

 

“That would be really funny if you know him,” the ice cream boy looked more relax, and Taeyong unconsciously finding himself leaning on the counter to see Doyoung clearer, to hear Doyoung’s voice. Daytime Taeyong would just stand rooted at his spot and unmoving while he tried to even talk to someone he’s attracted to, but nighttime Taeyong had this sudden burst of confidence. Who knew, maybe he can fish out Doyoung’s number if he was daring enough. “The name’s Jeno, but I don’t know if he ran around with a stage name or something at the scene. Ring a bell?”

 

Taeyong pondered for a moment. “Not really,” he said apologetically.

 

“Oh, that’s too bad,” he pouted a little, and Taeyong had this urge to shatter the glass and kiss the pout away. His self-control was good enough to keep his urges in check. “Anyway, your ice cream’s melting.”

 

Forget the sudden confidence. Taeyong just wanted to dug a new hole on the ground beneath him and never resurfaced, and it would be much preferable if Doyoung forgot his name after that. Instead, Taeyong smiled sheepishly as Doyoung handed him a tissue. “Sorry, I just—I got distracted by you,” Taeyong clamped his mouth shut, mind furiously backtracking what he just said, “I mean—it was fun talking to you, so I forgot that I—uh, the ice cream was there. In my hand. I thought ice cream would never melt.”

 

“In winter, yes,” Doyoung’s wide smile was so amused that Taeyong wondered whether if he’s leaving, Doyoung would be laughing his ass of, _at_ him, for two consecutive days. “It’s summer.”

 

“Yeah,” he said dumbly, wiping the rest of the melting cream from his sticky hand. “I’ll—well, I’ll see you around, Doyoung.”

 

“See you,” Doyoung waved his hand, still with an amused smile on his face as Taeyong tried so hard not to bolt from his spot as fast as his aching feet could handle. After a few meters away from the ice cream stall, Taeyong heaved a breath and prepared for another gruesome 30-minute walk to his apartment, but not before he tried to lick the ice cream for a bit before the pain became too unbearable.

 

This was why Taeyong could never, _ever,_ opened his mouth.

 

 

\--

 

 

Lee Taeyong was a constant stream of embarrassment. That’s why he visited the ice cream stall every night without failed, Doyoung’s smile grew wider with every passing day and their conversations grew longer, until Taeyong couldn’t feel his aching feet and the clock struck 2. Taeyong found out that Doyoung was the middle son, his older brother already married and moving out of the city and together they provide for their little brother. Taeyong found that Doyoung worked two jobs and this one ice cream shift was a temporary summer job because his friend—the guy named Jungwoo—offered him so. He still didn’t know the other job, but there always will be chances to ask him about that.

 

He also found that Doyoung was not as sweet as he looks, judging by the way he treated his coworkers in the convenience store when he wasn’t talking with Taeyong or the occasional snide remarks when he told Taeyong how his day went. Taeyong found it even more endearing, because Doyoung seemed to trust this random man enough to tell him how his day went. Taeyong absolutely adored when Doyoung talked about his little brother, the same beautiful glint in his eyes was mesmerizing that Taeyong couldn’t look away.

 

In short; he had fallen. _Hard._

The change didn’t go unnoticed by his crew members. It’s not because they saw Taeyong hanging out at the same convenience store with a particular doe-eyed boy and his cute black beret, but because when Taeyong arrived at the studio after his class, he brought along a waffle ice cream in his hand. Doyoung recommended it last night, saying that Taeyong would like it, and Taeyong didn’t have the heart to tell him that he could not enjoy any form of ice cream especially when it’s required to be _bitten._ Still, he bought it, because love is a strange thing and it didn’t cross his goddamn mind that he could just lie to Doyoung about it.

 

“Why are you buying ice cream?” said Yuta, squinting his eyes at him suspiciously from the corner of the studio.

 

Taeyong put his bag down and shrugged. “I like it.”

 

“Since when did you become a masochist?” Jaehyun piped up from behind him, eyeing the ice cream pack in his hand. Johnny hadn’t said anything from his spot, but Taeyong was sure that he would later. His friends were such busybody.

 

“Is it really weird to see me buying _one_ ice cream?”

 

“Well since you never even drink something that still has ice in it, we have our concern,” said Johnny, but the curious frown on his face betrayed his so-called expressed _concern._ “Did someone coerce you? Is it drugged?”

 

Taeyong rolled his eyes. “No, oh my god, shut _up._ Why are you all losing your shits? I just happened to buy _one_ thing this _one_ time.”

 

His friends still stared at him, and Taeyong made a show of ripping the pack and took out the ice cream in his hand. It looked good, but to Taeyong he was now holding an instrument of torture in his hand. Still, he was determined to not let his nosy friends to ask anymore question. Taeyong took a bite out of it, and regretted it soon after.

 

“There, there,” Jaehyun pat his shoulders when his friends finally took the ice cream out of his hand when he doubled back at the pain assaulting his whole body, but not before they laughed at his sorry ass. Stupid friends. Stupid ice cream. Stupid cold and hot drinks. Stupid teeth. “I don’t even know why you bother. We all know you have zero pain tolerance when drinking ice juice, let alone biting an ice cream.”

 

“I know life sucks, TY, but there’s a better way to die,” added Johnny.

 

Taeyong would want to rebuke, but first he needed to will the ache to die down just enough. “Fine. I, hypothetically, might have, somehow, had a crush on this guy from an ice cream stall and he recommended that one to me.”

 

“You have a crush?” Yuta stared wide eyed. “And you actually _talk_ to him? That bit is more surprising than anything I’ve heard all week.” Taeyong wanted to throw something, anything hard, on his pretty face.

 

“You bought this to impress him?” asked Johnny again, but the teasing smile grew wider at his face. “Oh my god, don’t tell me, are you buying ice cream from him?”

 

“I said _hypothetically!_ It’s not necessarily true!” again, Taeyong didn’t know why he even bother. He was not good at lying, with his expression so blatantly transparent, and his friends knew him long enough to, well, know that he’s bad at lying. “And even if it is, I don’t see what’s wrong with that.”

 

“You know you can take the easy route and ask him out, right?” and curse Yuta for his logical brain that worked better than Taeyong. It was not Taeyong’s fault that his mind was always distracted by flashes of Doyoung’s smile or his laughter until his logical part of the brain can’t really function properly these days. Stupid feeling. “Get some coffee, like a normal person. You’re not torturing yourself when you’re drinking coffee.”

 

And while Yuta was true, Taeyong was known to always take the hard way and completely disregard his friends’ advices. In his defense, their advices were mostly ineffective and faulty at most. This one was a very, very rare exception.

 

“I’ll think about it,” he finally grumbled.

 

 

He didn’t have time to think during their practice and when the clock struck midnight, he knew he will walk past Doyoung’s stall again and have Yuta’s advice ringing in his ears. At least his friends were saving him from further embarrassment and weren’t tailing him, but their endless tease even until Taeyong locked the studio door still made his ears burn.

 

Then again, what’s so hard about asking someone out? Taeyong can passed it off as a friendly gesture and Doyoung wouldn’t feel so creep out by his poor attempt at flirting.

 

“Good evening again, Mr. Lee,” Doyoung greeted him as soon as he saw Taeyong approaching the stall, and the smile on his face seemed to always punch Taeyong in the guts and made him lose all words. Taeyong nodded dumbly, smiled at Doyoung while the doe-eyed boy prepared the usual chocolate sundae without Taeyong even asking for it. Admitting his weakness seemed to be rather hard, now. “Hard day at the studio?”

 

“The usual,” muttered Taeyong, offering a small gratitude when Doyoung handed him the cup. Taeyong steeled his nerves before he had seconds to doubt himself, looking up at Doyoung’s gaze and tried so, _so_ hard not to falter under those beautiful reflecting lights. “Can I ask you something?”

 

Doyoung seemed puzzled, but he answered nonetheless. “You’re already asking something.”

 

“Yeah—no, not that,” Taeyong ducked his head, torn between laughing and sobbing. This was harder than what Yuta said. This was harder than what his mind envisioned. He had prepared a scenario in his head during his walk here, about how Taeyong would suavely ask Doyoung for a coffee next morning when he’s not in his morning shift nor any class and then Doyoung would agree with pink blushes on his cheeks. Taeyong would bid farewell with a promise, a wink, and his numbers written neatly on a sheet of tissue, waiting for Doyoung’s message when he’s awake.

 

In reality, Taeyong was still sweating from his dance practice and one hand awkwardly grabbing a cup of sundae. His mind still racing to find the words good enough to ask someone for a coffee but not straightforward enough as to not creep the other, the usual overthinking Lee Taeyong. Also, how could he think properly when Doyoung blinked at him like that? With that cute beret and small lips pouting at him, waiting for his question?

 

“Doyouwanttogoforacoffee?”

 

The question was delivered too rushed, too spontaneous, and his voice was too slow. Doyoung frowned and leaned closer to the glass, and Taeyong panicked. Inwardly and outwardly.

 

“I mean,” he breathed, “do you—if you’re not busy, maybe next morning after you finish that morning job of yours, or when you don’t have class… if you don’t mind, want to go for a cup of coffee? I know a good place near campus, but if you don’t enjoy coffee that’s fine too, they have deserts, or anything you want to go—"

 

“Sure.”

 

Taeyong blinked. “Yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” Doyoung shrugged, smiled again, and Taeyong felt his legs weakened. “I was waiting when will you ask that, or I should take the first step myself. But sure, I’ll take your offer.”

 

Taeyong didn’t know if his face could burn up that bad, but it did anyway. He coughed, scrambling for the rare occurrence of confidence burst to save him from further embarrassment. There was none, and he was again left loss at words. “Cool,” he said instead, like a suave guy he was.

 

“Is this the good time to start exchanging numbers?” asked Doyoung again, and he was positively glowing and _oh my god, was he teasing Taeyong already_ so Taeyong nodded, just like what he did best, and handed Doyoung his phone. He made a quick call to his own phone before handing Taeyong his phone back, and Taeyong almost crumbled to the ground when he saw Doyoung’s name saved in his contact.

 

“Am I—that obvious?” he asked hesitantly. Doyoung was no longer cute in his eyes, but more like ice cream—soft and swirly, yet an instrument of torture.

 

“Well, just a bit,” and if that’s Doyoung’s way to console his unsalvageable confidence, Taeyong could take it. “You’re good looking and all. I supposed if you’re not interested in me in the first place and I’m reading the signs wrong, I still will make you.”

 

Taeyong was so dumb.

 

“Also, I don’t think I can read the signs wrong when you’re the only one buying ice cream on midnights every single day and wasted your time talking to the vendor you just met for a week.”

 

Double dumb.

 

Taeyong chuckled nervously, suddenly very conscious of his surrounding and tried to keep his hands busy by feeding a spoonful of sundae in his mouth. It ached, but at least it got rid of the awkwardness. Slightly. “So, tomorrow morning? I’ll text you?”

 

“Call me,” and it was unfair how radiant Doyoung’s smile was when all Taeyong could think about was what a big fool he had made for himself these past few days. He bid farewell to Doyoung much earlier than he usually did, actually managed to catch the last bus home, and spent the ride looking at the melting sundae in his hand and the saved number of Doyoung in his contact.

 

Taeyong changed the name ‘Doyoung’ to ‘Ice cream cake’ and put his phone as fast as he could to the pocket of his jeans before his embarrassment took the better of him, _again._

 

Well, whatever. He had a date tomorrow morning.

 

 

Let’s hope he didn’t screw that up.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> will their date go well? will doyoung find out about taeyong's sensitive teeth? find out more whenever.
> 
> i initially intended to write this into a longer piece but turned out writing things when people don't suffer one way or another overwhelmed me so. huh. hope you enjoy it!


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